Manage Your Manager

call a meeting

Of course, his style may not gel with yours at all, to the point that you feel quite unhappy on the job. Never let it get to that point. At even the first hint of work dissatisfaction, call a meeting. Employees have the right to insist on some face time with the boss to clear the air and iron out the kinks. So demand to see your manager if there is a problem.

Be frank but polite, direct but professional, and try to shed light on the situation. The more information he has about his staff, the better he can perform as a manager and impress his own boss. You just need to hope that he realizes that. The bottom line, however, is that as a manager, he has to know what you need. Do not hesitate to tell him.

corporate culture

What may bother you most about your manager is not so much a fault of his, but a problem with the corporate culture. At another company, he may be the best boss, but for some reason, corporate bureaucracy turns him into the object of your scorn.

Learn to spot the difference between a bad manager and a manager under pressure from up above. If you can demonstrate some empathy for the pressure your boss is under, then work life will become easier to bear. Remember that your manager is subject to the same, if not more, stress. If the corporate culture indoctrinates management to be aloof or inferior at staff supervision, the blame is not with your boss. Once you realize that, you can better understand how to manage him.

who do you work for?

Here are some basic types of managers, and how to deal with them:

The Nice Guy This type of manager wants to be your best friend. It seems great at first, until you realize that he's more interested in being chums than kicking your butt into gear and providing direction when a deadline approaches. And ultimately, that's what employees need from a competent manager. We see this analogy in professional sports time and time again, with the coach who has the love of his players but does not produce results on the field. He's usually swiftly dismissed by a bitter general manager and replaced with a dictator who doesn't give a darn about being liked. If you want to avoid that nightmare type of a manager, take action to keep this one.

How to manage him: Call a meeting and tell him straight up that you like the fact that he wants to establish a rapport with his team, but that you need some stern motivation and directives from him on a regular basis.

The Drill Sergeant This type of manager often steps in after The Nice Guy is canned for being too, well, nice. No one likes The Drill Sergeant. His style often produces results, but only because his employees are scared to death of disappointing him. In the long run, he only fosters dissent and disharmony from his troops. He motivates by intimidation and at the end of the day, is a bully at best.

How to manage him: Let him know in clear language that you do not work well in his type of environment and need his respect in order to deliver at peak performance. It may be tough to verbalize, so you may want to consider an e-mail or letter to get your point across. If you fail to do so, my advice is to just lower your head, do your job and exceed his expectations. Don't give him anything to complain about and in time, he'll realize your value. Maybe then you can call some shots of your own.

The Mentor This is a great manager to have but as in life, too much of a good thing can be negative. On the one hand, he wants to groom and school you so that you follow a proven path of success. However, this relationship is not always appropriate for a manager and employee to have. After all, his eyes have to be on the profit prize and not your future development, although there is some synergy there. Overall though, it's best to cultivate some distance between a potential father figure manager, like The Mentor, in order to concentrate on your job.

How to manage him: Take his advice and consult him when you need direction in your career. But never lose sight of your primary relationship — feel free to remind him as well. Make sure that you know just what his expectations are so that you can proceed to exceed them. Refuse special treatment and demand constructive criticism on a regular basis.

communicate to relate

There are many other types of managers around whom we'll encounter throughout our professional lives. The one common denominator to manage them, however, is effective communication from Day One, without an information filter. That is to say that directness is the key to getting what you want out of the boss.

If you behave in an upfront manner from the start, ask questions to better comprehend your role, and observe what makes him tick, you'll inevitably be happier in your job.